2008 Whitehaven Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

This last week I drank a 2008 Whitehaven Marlborough Blanc.  Whitehaven is owned by Greg and Sue White, who have enlisted the expertise of Simon Waghorn to create SBs and Pinot Noirs on New Zealand's South Island. This was one of the most expensive SBs I've drunk this summer, running around $25.

Unfortunately it wasn't worth $25.  The nose was more interesting than the taste itself, which was lacking almost any interplay of flavors.  The last bottle I reviewed here was cheaper and much better than this.  The Whitehaven also was a little more acidic than my last few SBs.

The fact that the label notes don't describe any gooseberry or tropical fruits or the usual notes you find in SBs makes me wonder if this is a relatively young winery that isn't up to speed yet but thinks they can charge prices that compete with the better Marlboroughs as a marketing ploy. This 2008 isn't a bad wine, but it should be running $15 tops, not $25.